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Dr. Lawrence Gonzi.
He's Malta's Prime Minister. A man on a mission.
Malta, set in the Mediterranean, is a nation steeped in history, a rich culture and a member of the European Union.
Dr. Gonzi is seemingly determined to do away with theatre on the Opera House bomb site at the entrance to his capital city at any cost. He doesn't only want to eradicate the vision of his ancestors and predecessors he is hell-bent on placing Parliament on the site just right at the entrance to this wonderful City.
Reaction from his electorate, political supporters, the general public, foreigners, business people, tourists and theatre professionals across Europe is one of dismay, horror, anger and genuine bemusement.
This website has no political axe to grind in Malta. We are not bothering ourselves with Maltese politics. This is about theatre, the arts and creativity. We've made it clear that we are not attacking this man politically - if Dr. Gonzi holds that paranoiac view then that's his problem, he needs to get over it and focus on the will of his people and those who support Malta.
So, in case there's any doubt about Dr. Gonzi. In case anyone feels we are being political or even politically biased - this page is for you. Where you can read the words of a man who just seems blinded by a vision with no credibility. Where you can see a few news quotes reporting the ultimate destruction of a beloved theatre that many people (living and some now no longer with us) who genuinely believed that theatre will one day be restored to Valletta's Opera House bomb site.
"The Prime Minister yesterday said the government chose not to rebuild the Opera House as a theatre"
"The Prime Minister yesterday said the government chose not to rebuild the Opera House as a theatre because it did not want to saturate the area, which already has three theatres. Moreover, the footprint of the ruins was not big enough for today's theatrical requirements".
“It is very clear that we should not rebuild the Royal Opera House into a theatre,” Dr Gonzi said, explaining that another theatre would not be viable in the capital city, which already boasted of three theatres; the Manoel Theatre, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and St James Cavalier. Moreover, “the Royal Opera House would not have a large enough footprint to host modern productions since the stage will be too small,” he added.
The country has been calling for the rebuilding of the Royal Opera House site for the past 60 years and talking of regenerating City Gate for years, the Prime Minister explained.
Dr Gonzi said the project, costing between €60m and €80m will be paid for from public funds. Existing shops within the Opera House ruins will be relocated.